Frequent flyer

Steven Gunther

A bearded iris that matches daylilies

Sharon Cohoon,

John Schoustra, owner of Greenwood Irises + Daylilies, has been trying to find a bearded iris to match, bloom for bloom, the flower production of his best daylilies. The search may be over. ‘Frequent Flyer’, the tall bearded iris with pure white flowers shown here, produces as many as 12 flowers per stalk and puts on this show at least four times a year. “It begins blooming in spring and doesn’t quit until late fall,” says Christine Mulligan, a Long Beach landscape designer who has used the iris in several projects.

Thanks to its unusually broad leaves, ‘Frequent Flyer’ is handsome even without flowers, says Mulligan. “It forms a nice size clump, so you can use it as if it were a small gray-green flax,” she says. At the garden of Brent and Beth Harris in Rolling Hills, Mulligan paired ‘Frequent Flyer’ with creamy-plumed Oriental fountain grass. She also likes it with gray-leafed phlomis. Anything in the Mediterranean palette―artemisia, lavender, rosemary, santolina―also makes a good mate, says Schoustra.

‘Frequent Flyer’ is available in 1- and 2-gallon cans at many nurseries. Or mail-order directly from Greenwood; (562) 494-8944 or www.greenwooddaylily.com.